Evidence-Based Violence

The use of “evidence‑based” rhetoric to justify harm, discrimination, or exclusion, often by cherry‑picking studies, misrepresenting findings, or demanding impossible standards of evidence from marginalized groups. Evidence‑based violence is common in debates about indigenous rights, alternative medicine, or social programs: a politician cites a single study to cut welfare, or a doctor denies pain treatment to a patient whose symptoms don’t fit the textbook. The violence is in the weaponization of evidence to serve pre‑existing biases while claiming neutrality.

Evidence-Based Violence Example: “The insurance company denied coverage for her rare condition, citing a systematic review that excluded all studies with fewer than 100 patients—evidence‑based violence, using methodological criteria to avoid providing care.”

Evidence-Based Violence by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 15, 2026